


Sunrise Serenade

by Cherry Bomb (ShowMeAHero)



Category: Marvel
Genre: Dancing, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Gen, Kissing, Matchmaking, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-07
Updated: 2018-01-07
Packaged: 2019-03-01 18:50:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13301055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShowMeAHero/pseuds/Cherry%20Bomb
Summary: prompt from anonymous: “imagine dancing with bucky before he left for the war”





	Sunrise Serenade

You had come to the dance hall on the insistence of your best friend, who had since left your side in order to dance with a handsome young man in a uniform, who kept asking for her dance after dance, the two of them whirling around and around. You sighed, sipping at your glass of water, checking the clock on the far side of the wall. It was still a long time before the night would be over, you knew, so you settled in for a couple hours of waiting.

A young man ghosted by you, small and thin, and you offered him a friendly smile before returning your attention to tracing the rim of your glass with your fingertip. He made his way back over to you after a double-take, leaning over, careful to give you space.

“Hi,” he said, then waited. You smiled hesitantly.

“Hi?” you replied. He motioned to the chair. “Oh, yes, go ahead.”

“Thanks,” he said, tugging the chair out and sitting down. “I’m sorry- I’m not typically so forward, but, you seem like you’re not having a very good time.”

“Oh, no, I-” you began, but the man shook his head. He was quite slight, coming up to about your own height, with a shock of blonde hair and a handsome face.

“Here’s the thing,” he told you. “I have to head out, and my buddy over there, he’s also being a bit of a downer. He’s right over there,” he said, pointing out his friend. His friend turned out to be a young man about your age, blue eyes, brown hair, tall as hell, muscular, broad, killer smile - everything you looked for in a man.

“He’s down?” you asked, incredulous. “He could dance with any gal in here.”

“I know that,” the young man said, “and you do, but he sure doesn’t seem to think so tonight. So, here’s the thing.”

“Yeah?” you asked, leaning in. The guy leaned in again.

“He saw you earlier,” the guy admitted. “He thought you were real pretty. He doesn’t want to say anything, said you looked like you wanted to be left alone.”

“I just got abandoned by my friend,” you explained, pointing out your best friend as she continued to dance. “Oh,” you said, suddenly. “I’m (Y/N) (Y/L/N).”

“Oh, Christ, where are my manners?” the guy said, holding out his hand. “I’m Steve Rogers. That over there, that’s James Barnes.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Steve Rogers,” you said, shaking his hand. You stood, downing the rest of your water before you smoothed out the wrinkles in your dress and pushed at the curls in your hair. You spread your arms. “How do I look?”

“Beautiful,” Steve assured you. He held out an arm, and you hooked your hand over his elbow, allowing him to escort you over to his friend. James Barnes had his attention on his own glass, but he startled when Steve ducked down to get his attention.

“Special delivery, Buck,” Steve said. James Barnes scowled at him, hopping to his feet and hurriedly tucking his shirt back into his pants where it had fallen out a bit.

“A little warning could’ve been nice, Rogers,” he grumbled.

“You’re gonna make a bad first impression,” Steve warned, smiling slightly. He released you and stepped back a bit. “This is (Y/N) (Y/L/N), and she just agreed to dance with you, you grump.”

“It’s true,” you assured James, when he looked at you with surprise. “You were built up quite a bit by your friend here. I hope you live up to your reputation.”

“So do I,” James said. He hesitated, then held out his hand to you. “May I?”

“You may,” you said, with a joking curtsy. He took you out to the dance floor just as the last song ended, thumping Steve on the back of the head as he went. Steve waved him off, smiling as he took James’ place back up, stealing the rest of his drink.

“Oh, I love this song,” you said, as a familiar slow rhythm started up. The live band seemed content to play at the soft pace, and James leaned in, sliding his left hand down your waist, keeping your hand enveloped in his right. You let your other hand slip up to his shoulder, and he kept a respectful distance, guiding you into a gentle waltz.

“It’s charming,” James agreed. He was quiet, then said, “You looked kind of down, over there. Something happen?”

“Just that my friend abandoned me to dance,” you told him. “Serves her right. I got a dance with you out of it.”

“Seems like I’m the one who’s lucky to dance with you,” James replied. You grinned.

“Thank you, James,” you said. “Are you always such a flatterer?”

“Not always,” he assured you. “Only with the prettiest girls, and you are the  _ prettiest  _ girl.” He took a slight step closer. You could feel the warmth radiating off of him as the music swirled around you, other couples dancing nearby on the dance floor. Everything was warm and gentle in the dance hall, everybody smiling. It seemed the whole world was happy.

“You don’t have to call me ‘James,’ by the way,” he told you. You looked up at him, brow furrowed.

“What should I call you, if not by your name?” you asked. He smiled.

“Bucky,” he said. “My middle name’s Buchanan. All my friends call me ‘Bucky.’”

“Are we friends?” you asked. He took another half-step closer; your ear was nearly pressed to his chest. You hesitated, then let yourself rest against his chest, allowing him to guide you through the dance. You could feel his heart pounding through his dress shirt.

“I hope we might be,” he said. “Maybe more.”

“Maybe,” you allowed, thankful that he couldn’t feel your heart speed up like you felt his. Your cheeks felt hot, your whole body flush. You cursed the length of your dress and of your hair; they felt like prisons now.

“I do have to be honest, though, (Y/N),” he said, and you sighed slightly. Here it was. “I’ve been drafted. I’m getting my orders soon.”

You hesitated, then looked up at him, surprised. “That’s your secret?”

“One of ‘em,” he told you. “Why?”

“I just figured it would be a deal-breaker,” you said. He frowned slightly.

“It’s not?” he asked. You shrugged.

“I got two hands,” you said. “I’ve been told my penmanship is real nice.”

“Is it, now?” he asked. You nodded, settling back against his chest, falling back into step with him. “Well, now.”

“Well, now, indeed.” You shut your eyes, lost in the sensations of it all. One song became two, then three, while you and Bucky danced close, talking about anything and everything. When the songs became fast-paced again, Bucky pulled back slightly.

“Can you Lindy?” he asked, and you nodded. Before you knew it, the two of you were flying, dancing so quickly the room blurred, laughing all the while. It felt right to be with him; he was comfortable, thrilling, and you felt like you had known him forever. It seemed like no time at all and a forever before you were being tapped on the shoulder.

“Hey,” your best friend said, grinning, flushed herself. “You’ve been dancing with him for a while, yeah? Do you wanna head out?”

You turned back to Bucky, who was pushing his hair up out of his face. He had sweat all along his brow, the hair curling and falling out of place when he shoved at it. He smiled at you, grinning, beaming, breathless.

“I think I’ll get home safe,” you said. Bucky’s face got a little redder, his smile a little wider. You turned to your best friend to embrace her. “Stay safe, stay in one piece.”

“I’ll see you tonight,” she told you, kissing you on the cheek. “Have fun!” She leaned around you to wave at Bucky. “You take care of (Y/N), now.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Bucky said, snapping off a salute to her. She laughed and left you to your dancing. Bucky led you into one more dance before insisting the two of you take a break, bringing you to a table and flagging down two waters for you. You watched as Bucky downed nearly all of his in one long, impressive swallow, then forced yourself to look away when he glanced in your direction. He reached into his pockets and dug around before unearthing a tiny pencil stub and a scrap of paper.

“Steve likes to draw,” Bucky explained, sliding the pencil and paper over to you. “I usually have his stuff on me. You should write down your address, though. So I can write you.” You picked up the pencil and started writing. “I’m not sure where I’ll be yet, but I’ll make sure you can get back to me.”

You handed him the paper and the pencil before you got an idea. Smiling, you stood. “I have something else for you. Follow me.” You took Bucky’s hand in yours and pulled him from the building, taking him down a couple blocks to where they were setting up for the Stark Expo. You found what you were looking for - the photo booth that had been placed in preparation of the exposition. You motioned to it.

“What do you think?” you asked. “For you to bring with you.”

“I think you’re full of good ideas,” he said, pulling you into the photo booth and tugging the curtains closed. You fed the machine a dime and a nickel and it started to whir, the gears all grinding as the two of you smiled right into the camera. The flash bulb went off and a framed picture clunked out of the machine. You handed it to Bucky, smiling.

“Remember me,” you said, half-a statement, half-a plea. He hesitated, then tugged you back into the photo booth. He presented his own dime and nickel, pushing them into the machine. The gears started up again, but this time, he leaned in, kissing you for the first time just as the flashbulb went off. You blinked up at him, stunned, as the framed picture banged out.

“Remember me,” he echoed, handing you the picture of your first kiss together. You stared down at it, smiling, your knuckles white from your tight grip on it.

“How could I forget?” you said, letting him wrap you up in his arms and kiss you again, and again, there in the darkened lot that would soon be filled up with lights, and sounds, and people, but for the moment was filled with the two of you, of promises, of a bright future and first kisses and what could be.

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted on my blog for imagines, which you can find and submit requests to [here!](https://imagine-in-the-fandoms.tumblr.com/ask)


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